Yes, Rodney
Justo, lead singer for The Candymen and Beaverteeth, is back on the scene,
fronting The Atlanta Rhythm Section one more time for a series of live concerts
throughout the USA.
My friend, Bruce Wilbanks (from Alabama), who had attended several Candymen
shows in the past, eventually managed to get in touch with Rodney for the
first time in his life some time ago - which led to his being personally invited
to one of the ARS dates in Biloxi, Mississippi (yes, the same town where the
Fine, Gulf Coast & South labels were located & which was partially
devastated by a recent hurricane).

Bruce wrote :'The regular lead singer had to have
open heart surgery and they called Rodney. He's going to tour with them until
the regular singer is well. He said that he flew to Connecticut and sang a
concert with them without having even one practice. He said that it went pretty
well. He asked me to come to one of his other concerts and meet him face to
face. So I went to Biloxi, April 18th, 2008, where they were to open for The
Guess Who and called Rodney's cellphone. [] He was staying at the Hard Rock
Hotel, just next door to the hotel where my wife and I were staying. He invited
me over and we spent 2 1/2 hours in the Hard Rock Cafe, talking about the
Candymen, rock'n'roll, our families and kids. It was an awesome experience
! Rodney has met many of rock'n'roll's greatest entertainers - the Beatles,
the Mamas & the Papas, Jimi Hendrix, etc. He has some of the most interesting
stories you can imagine. I went there as a Candymen fan and felt like I left
as a friend of Rodney's. He's one of the warmest, genuine people I've ever
met. He far exceeded my greatest expectations. He gave me VIP tickets for
the concert and introduced me to Dean Daughtry backstage after the concert.
Dean was just as nice as Rodney. I told him that I wasn't happy when he became
the keyboardist for the Candymen because I liked Bobby Peterson so much. He
said that he worked awfully hard to get that job with the Candymen. He said
that he learned to play every song key by key exactly like Bobby played them.
I told him that it didn't take me long to see that he was a better keyboardist
than Bobby'.

Needless to
say, all the photos which appear in the scrolling filmstrip above are courtesy
of Bruce Wilbanks.

It was April
2008. Rodney is now back permanently as the lead singer of The Atlanta Rhythm
Section. They seem to be getting busier and busier, playing all over the country.
Rodney is also playing with his band Coo Coo Ca Choo. They are sounding more
and more like the Candymen of old with their 4 and 5 part harmonies. They are
playing exclusively music from the 1960's. There are videos of them on YouTube.
Bruce Wilbanks kindly provided me with another batch of pics I'm all too happy
to share with you...............